May 1/11 11:06 am - Tour of Turkey: Stage 8 and final GC

Posted by Editoress on 05/1/11

Results from today's 8th and final stage of the Presidential Tour of Turkey. The stage was won by Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Skil-Shimano) with Alexander Efimkin (Team Type 1 - Sanofi Aventis) taking the overall. Top finisher for Team Spidertech powered by C10 was Pat McCarty finishing 42nd on the stage and 15th overall.

Efimkin takes Overall

The eighth and final stage of the Tour of Turkey concluded with a sprint finish in the resort town of Alanya, with Kenny van Hummel (Skil-Shimano) holding off Andre Greipel (Omega Pharma-Lotto) and Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD) for the win. Overll leader Alexander Efimkin (TT1-Sanofi Aventis) finished safely in the pack to give TT1 one of the biggest wins in the team's history. Canada's SpiderTech squad was down to three riders for the final stage, after Svein Tuft (fever) and Lucas Euser (bronchitis) did not start. Pat McCarty was the top SpiderTech finisher, in 15th place overall, and the team took seventh in the Team GC.

With no climbing at all, and five laps of an 18 kilometre circuit to finish off, this stage was guaranteed to come down to a sprint finish. However, that didn't stop multiple efforts to establish a breakaway, including one with Petacchi. All were doomed to failure, and by the final 18 kilometre loop the field was all together.

Garmin-Cervelo made an early effort to take control for Tyler Farrar, but they were challenged by both Omega Pharma-Lotto and Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli, and the final gallop to the line turned into a free-for-all. Petacchi and Grepel both went early, and two-time stage winner Andrea Guardini (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli) was blocked, leaving the way open for van hummel to go one better than his second place in stage seven.

Note: We will post video interviews with SpiderTech team director Steve Bauer and rider Will Routley shortly.